PRESS RELEASE - Large entry for RAC Brighton to London Future Car Challenge
By the closing date of 30 September, entries for The Royal Automobile Club's new RAC Brighton to London Future Car Challenge reached 60 zero/low-emission vehicles – far exceeding expectations and establishing, probably, the largest event of its kind.
Being held for the first time this year, the RAC Brighton to London Future Car Challenge takes place on Saturday 6 November as a very public showcase for low-energy impact vehicles. Open to the latest electric, hybrid and low emission passenger cars, light commercial vehicles and motorcycles, awards will be presented in different categories for vehicles judged to have made the least energy impact during the 60-mile Brighton to London run.
As a measure of the importance of this inaugural event, entries have been received from the majority of the major car manufacturers, including BMW, Citroën, FIAT, Ford, MINI, Mercedes-Benz, Mitsubishi, Renault, Skoda, Smart, Tata, Toyota, Vauxhall and Volkswagen. In many cases several different models have been entered.
Several world/UK debuts will feature as a number of the participating manufacturers will use the event to showcase, live, their pre-production electric, plug-in hybrid, hydrogen and low-emission internal combustion engine vehicles in both passenger car and light-commercial vehicle categories.
Vauxhall's Ampera entry is an electric car fitted with a small 'range extender' petrol engine – unlike a hybrid vehicle; it doesn't drive the car directly but tops up the batteries on the move to extend the vehicle's range to a claimed 350 miles.
UK-based Liberty Electric Cars has entered the world's first pure electric 4x4 vehicle – the Liberty E-Range Range Rover. The Liberty E has a battery range of around 200 miles and is claimed to cover 0-60mph in around seven seconds.
Ford have entered their Transit Connect Electric and UK companies, Nicholson McLaren, Interserve and RLE International have entered their all-electric conversions of the Citroën Nemo van and Volkswagen Caddy Maxi and Zytek Automotive will participate with their all-electric Mercedes-Benz Vito Taxi.
Sports cars will be represented by entries from Tesla, well known for its high performance vehicles, plus privately entered Lotus Elise and MG-F both recently converted to electric drive.
Professor Gordon Murray is very much a modern-day automotive pioneer. Following 17 years designing Brabham Formula One cars and then 18 years with the McLaren Group designing Formula One and high performance road cars, Murray set up Gordon Murray Design Limited in Shalford, Surrey. The company has developed iStream®, an innovative and disruptive automotive manufacturing technology to reduce the overall environmental impact of cars and the way that they’re built. For the RAC Brighton to London Future Car Challenge, Gordon Murray has entered his company's T.25 three-seater city car that he will drive on the event himself. The ultra-lightweight design utilises Formula One technology and has a unique door opening system so it can be parked very close to objects but still allow occupants to enter and exit.
Ben Cussons, Chairman of The Royal Automobile Club Motoring Committee, says: "We're extremely pleased with both the quantity and, importantly, the quality of the entries we've established. As well as entries from major manufacturers and specialist companies, a number of private owners will also take part – something we very much encourage. We are also receiving considerable support from many sponsors including, of course, the title sponsor RAC Motoring Services.
"We're confident this will be the largest, most public, showcase for low energy vehicles that has ever taken place in Europe and is therefore just as significant as The Royal Automobile Club’s world famous London to Brighton Veteran Car Run which takes place the following day."
NOTES FOR EDITORS
The RAC Brighton to London Future Car Challenge takes place on Saturday 6 November, the day before the Royal Automobile Club’s world famous London to Brighton Veteran Car Run. Starting at Madeira Drive, this unique live event will use the traditional 60-mile veteran car run route in reverse.
Provisional Timings:
Start (Madeira Drive, Brighton) at 08:30 to 09:00.
Halfway stop (Crawley) 09:30 to 10:30.
Finish (Pall Mall, London) 11:15 to 12:30
Presentation (Regent Street, London) 12:30 to 16:00.
The formal finish will be in Pall Mall followed by a special ceremonial finish and presentation in Regent Street. Here, the vehicles will join the display of more than 100 pre-1905 motor cars in the London to Brighton Veteran Car Run International Concours in front of an estimated 250,000 audience.
More than 50 vehicles have entered with over 60 expected to participate in this inaugural event. They are coming from manufacturers, institutions, individual motoring pioneers and private owners. The event will be staged, promoted and judged in the three categories – Electric, Hybrid and Internal Combustion Engine. Within each category, entries will be measured in various modes for the energy used during the drive from Madeira Drive to Pall Mall. The challenge will be to complete the event with the least energy impact.
Each of the 25 category winners will receive an engraved Royal Automobile Club trophy and the overall winner will receive the coveted Royal Automobile Club Gold Medal. There will also be an award for the best private entry and each classified finisher will receive a Club medal and certificate.
The RAC Brighton to London Future Car Challenge will be judged by the event's Technical Panel comprising: Ben Cussons, Chairman (The Royal Automobile Club Motoring Committee), Dr David Bizley (Director of Technical RAC), Richard Parry-Jones (industry), John Wood (Institution of Mechanical Engineers), Dr Ricardo Martinez-Botas (Imperial College London) Steve Cropley (Autocar) and John Hilton (Flybrid Systems).
Since its creation in 1897, The Royal Automobile Club has actively supported and promoted the development of motoring in Great Britain including the introduction of the famous 1000 Mile Trial of 1900; the first motor race (the Tourist Trophy) in 1905; the first British Grand Prix in 1926 and, since 1930, the London to Brighton Veteran Car Run. This celebrates the Emancipation Run of November 1896, an historic event that promoted and demonstrated the capabilities of the then recently invented horseless carriage at a time when electric and steam power, as well as the internal combustion engine, were competing for mass-production dominance.
RAC has around seven million members and is one of the UK's most progressive motoring organisations, providing services for both private and business motorists. Whether it's roadside assistance, insurance, vehicle inspections and checks, legal services or up-to-the-minute traffic and travel information - RAC is able to meet motorists' needs.
RAC is committed to providing the very highest levels of service to its members and has been ranked first for customer satisfaction by J.D. Power and Associates' UK Roadside Assistance Study for the last four years and the top-named service organisation in the July 2009, January 2010 and July 2010 UK Customer Satisfaction Index from the Institute of Customer Service
RAC Insurance has also been awarded the Best Overall Vehicle Insurance Provider 2009/10 by themoneypages.com
RAC is part of Aviva, the world's sixth largest* insurance group, serving 53 million customers across Europe, North America and Asia Pacific. RAC's news releases and a selection of images are available from the internet press centre at
www.rac.co.uk/press-centre/
*based on gross worldwide premiums at 31 December 2009
In March 2010, The RAC Foundation, one of the sponsors of the event, produced a report on the potential of low carbon vehicle technology entitled Driving Down Emissions. The report concluded: The challenge is not only to stimulate both the supply and demand side of the low carbon vehicle market, but to make sure progress on each happens in tandem. It will not be easy but it must be done.
For more information about the RAC Brighton to London Future Car Challenge, including regulations and entry form, visit
www.futurecarchallenge.com
The RAC Brighton to London Future Car Challenge is kindly supported by the RAC, Goodyear, the RAC Foundation, the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Imperial College London; City of Westminster, Brighton & Hove City Council, Crawley Borough Council, Central Sussex College and the Regent Street Association.
The RAC Brighton to London Future Car Challenge is organised and promoted on behalf of The Royal Automobile Club by Motion Works – the organising team of the annual London to Brighton Veteran Car Run.
